Some Questions Regarding Missed Fasts and Taraweeh Prayers... I would like to ask you some questions. If someone forget how many days they are not fasting, then what should they do? Is it valid, for someone who did solat tarawih 8 rakaat? Thanks. Reply If a person is ill or on a journey, due to which he is not in a position to fast during the prescribed month of Ramadhan , the Qur'an has allowed him to miss the number of fasts, during which he is ill or on a journey and then to complete the number later, when he is well or back from his journey. The Qur'an, while giving this allowance, has stressed to complete the number of fasts, when it becomes possible to do so. In view of this stress of the Qur'an, it is important that a person keep an accurate record of the number of fasts missed during Ramadhan and then to complete the number later. However, if a person due to his ignorance or any other reason forgets the exact number of fasts missed during Ramadhan , he may assess the number so missed and complete the number according to his assessment. In such a situation, it may be hoped that if the assessment is made diligently and still a mistake has been committed, God in His infinite mercy shall forgive us and not punish us for such a mistake. Moreover, it should also be remembered that all our unintentional mistakes and the shortcomings in our obligatory acts of worship are not only covered but also greatly rewarded, if we offer some extra-obligatory ( nafl ) acts of worship on our own. For instance, an unintentional and unnoticed mistake in our obligatory prayer is not only covered by our sincere offering of an extra-obligatory (nafl) prayer, but we are also greatly rewarded for offering the extra-obligatory prayer. The same is the case of our unintentional mistakes in fasting and other forms of worship. Taraweeh is not an obligatory prayer. The number of rak'at of the Taraweeh prayer is also not fixed. Actually, the Prophet (pbuh) himself did not ever offer the Taraweeh prayer, as is now a regular practice among Muslims. The Prophet (pbuh) only offered the Tahajjud prayer. However, because the Prophet (pbuh) allowed those who could not wake up in the middle of the night for their Tahajjud prayer to offer this prayer after the `Ishaa prayer, therefore it is not incorrect to offer any number of rak'at after the `Ishaa prayer, as is now a practice among Muslims, especially during the month of Ramadhan . There is thus, no harm in offering fewer or more number of rak'at in the Taraweeh prayer. The Prophet (pbuh) did not fix any particular number of rak'at of the Tahajjud prayer and therefore, this number cannot be fixed by any one else either. I hope this helps. In case any aspect of my answer remains unclear, please feel free in writing back to me at your own convenience. May the Almighty guide us all to the path of His liking. Regards The Learner